Sunday, June 30, 2013

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Come On, Baby, Light My Fire

In 2011, Jodie and I went on a hot air balloon ride over Idaho's Lewiston valley.
The heat of the flame coming out of the burner was intense!

Burn, Baby, Burn

I'm glad Jodie's short - and didn't catch her hair on fire.
Knock one more thing off my bucket list!

Friday, June 28, 2013

Lemon Bars

It's time for another Pinterest idea come to life!

I saw these yummy-looking, WAY easy to make, 2-ingrediant lemon bars on Pinterest.
The original recipe is from Just a Pinch recipies.


Just mix angel food cake and lemon pie filling.
I had to try it.


Mmmmmm. Fresh out of the oven, cooled, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
They smell heavenly


The texture is quite different than traditional lemon bars.
But they'll do in a pinch!


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Monday, June 24, 2013

Sunday, June 23, 2013

A Bit of Fuzzy Wonderful

Down at Kiwanis Park, these wildflowers are coming of age.
They glow in the morning light that streams through the trees to the forest floor.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Photo Contest Finalist

I'm honored to be a finalist in the Canon Camera Day Photo Contest on Facebook. My entry is this image of snowflakes which I captured last February.
I took a piece of black craft felt onto the deck in my back yard, waited for snow to fall on it, and focused in with my macro lens.

If you like the picture and have a Facebook account, please make two clicks and vote! You can vote every day until June 25th.

Thanks!


Friday, June 21, 2013

Warrior

On the edge of the tiny town of Plummer, Idaho stands this memorial to warriors and veterans.
The home of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe straddles Highway 95 in this part of our state.
This monument is a proud symbol of the people and their many sacrifices.
A gorgeous work of art and tribute to those who have gone before us.

A history. The path to the Idaho we have become.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

A Nest Like No Other

Last weekend, Dale and I drove south to Heyburn State Park on the west side Lake Coeur d'Alene. We are looking for likely "dark sky" areas where Dale can set up his telescope for some deep space star gazing.
We found a likely spot in a campground on a hill. While checking out park fees, we spotted this nest.
I love the graceful lines. It's more beautiful and intricate than any florist arrangement I've seen.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Beaded Christmas Ornaments 2

Every time I pull out my box of beads, I'm surprised at what I find. It's like going on a treasure hunt! If I remember correctly, the main green and yellow beaded beads were from an old necklace that fell apart.

After choosing the main beads, I dug around to find other beads of similar color. Those teardrop beads for the bottom of the ornament are really sweet. I tried to find beads of various sizes so that, when stacked, the ornament would have a pleasing shape.

Some of the beads I chose have very small holes. Pipe cleaners were too big to push through. So I found some gold beading wire for the core instead. Because it's thin, the finished ornaments don't feel very "sturdy," but they ought to hold together just fine.

I would have made more, but I only had five of the large yellow beads.

I just may have caught the beading bug again. Perhaps. But two days ago I received a cross-stitch chart in the mail ...

We'll have to wait and see what catches my attention next.


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Beaded Christmas Ornaments 1

My husband, Dale, was on vacation last week. We decided not to go anywhere. Instead, we each worked on a few projects that had been waiting for a block of time. As a reward for getting a big project done, I gave myself an afternoon to play in my Studio.

I bought this ornament kit from Mary Maxim. Christmas in June? Why not?

The kit contained the beads and the glittery pipe cleaners. I supplied the wire snips and ruler (to cut the pipe cleaners to length), and the needle-nose pliers (to round the tips of the pipe cleaners).

I like to lay all the components out on my beading mat. I find it easier to work when all the bits are organized.

These 12 ornaments went together in a snap! I love the color and the shape. They have a nice weight too.

Finishing these ornaments got me in the mood to make some more. So I pulled out my beads and ...


You'll see tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Aphid Control

I have one rose bush in my yard. After babying it for the last three years, it seems to be growing quite nicely this Spring. But I saw some bugs on it that I thought were aphids. So I turned to the internet to find a homemade bug spray that could help.

I found a video that described how to use a mixture of soap, water and cayenne pepper. You can view that video on eHow Home.

So I made the mixture and sprayed it on my rose bush leaves. Left it on for 15 min. Then sprayed it off.

I don't seem to have any aphids now. But I do have these white spots and holes in the leaves.

Guess I'll have to do some more research to figure out what is ailing my rose.

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Saturday, June 8, 2013

The Ant in the Flower Bed

I walked by this beautiful mound of white flowers


Verbena, perhaps?
Then stopped to make friends 
with the resident ant.


Friday, June 7, 2013

Poppy Time

I love this time of year

when the poppies glow


and show the purple starfish
that live in their center.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Cleaning a Microfiber Couch

Time for another Pinterest trial!
[Boring, you say?
Oh, you know you love seeing if these things work.]

This week I followed this Pin to its source 
and learned how to clean my microfiber couch.


We've had our sofa for about 6 or 7 years now,
and though I keep it vacuumed, 
it hasn't had a cleaning in all that time.
It was starting to look pretty bad.

This arm was the worst with drips and spots all over it.

I followed the simple instructions:
saturate with rubbing alcohol,
sponge off the dirt, 
let dry thoroughly,
then brush with a stiff-bristled brush.
It worked GREAT! 

I wasn't able to get very good images
of the entire couch with all it's spots, 
so these small pictures will have to do.

I can highly recommend this Pin!
Be sure to go to the original post to get all the details.

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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Every Spring, a field of tulips springs up 
on the grounds of our local medical center.


The cups of brilliant color draw you in.


The reds and oranges.


The glowing yellows.

Who's that visitor?

Nothin' to see here, folks. Just passing through.



[click for larger images]